Collars for training

[Sherry Miller]

I just wondered what type of collar you all use for on leash training for your Irish Setter?

[Howard Glansfield]

I sometimes use a Gentle Leader on Fred if I suspect he is going to pull me.I take it off(except when I forget as you can see on my photos)when we get to the fields and he walks home afterwards without it and he doesn't pull.Ellie never pulls and will,if I let her,happily walk behind me anywhere,off lead, but I always have her on lead on the streets,as you never know with dogs.

With Arthur,my puppy, I am trying to teach him not to pull by stopping every time he does pull or turning round and walking the opposite direction but it takes forever to get where I am going and the other dogs dislike it.So ,as he is not responding at all and leans into his collar like he is pulling a sledge,it is going to be a Gentle Leader for him too.A lazy way I suppose but it works!

[Sherry Miller]

I am trying to transition Miss Molly off the gentle leader here...she was wild when she came home so that was the only option to keep me on my feet to walk her.  Have been attaching her leash to her regular collar after about a block of walking her here in neighborhood....fooling her as gentle leader is still on but afraid to try it where I do not know what dogs or creatures might be around.  Just wondered if anyone has experience of just weaning them off the gentle leader.  I felt guilty using the gentle leader here but glad to hear I am not the only one using one.:) and I hate the comments from others who think it is a muzzle!

[Teresa]

I got all sorts of comments like "look at the pitbull" or even more stupid than that. I used it for a very short time on romã. I also introduced a "word" whenever she tried to pull and at the same time i correct her. After a while my "word" was enough correction for her. So one day i just left the gentle leader at home and the "word" kept working. The last time i used it was in November and there was no relapsing - she reacts very well to the vocal command alone and gets thrilled with my pet-reward every single time :)

[Sherry Miller]

Thanks for the idea Teresa...she does not seem to realize so far it is not connected to the leash so will backtrack and start using a word besides heel for her pulling......she walks like a show dog on the gentle leader and sits when I stop walking so will just add this in and start over on weaning her off it.  I have educated quite a few people here on what a gentle leader is but not convinced the ones walking two huge black labs that it would give them a better option than the dogs still pulling them off their feet even though they use pinch collars.  I used to use a halti for the Brittany,  Pebbles as he had lived  at a lake where he never had to be leashed so leash walking was new to him ....and he did well on the Halti.

[Val Martin]

I use a Gentle Leader on my little Cocker Spaniel 'Zara' and she walks beautifully on it.  I have used them quite a bit during training sessions with other people's  dogs as well and the owners are usually delighted with the results.  I highly recommend them. 

Don't pull the lead backwards to correct your dog on a Gentle Leader, a quick jerk towards your leg is a far more efficient method.

I would NOT recommend the halti head collar.  Most dogs paw and scratch at their faces to get the annoying thing off!

[Sherry Miller]

Thanks for the infomation ...I will be replacing the first gentle leader here for spring as someone else borrowed it to try and their dog sort of ate it!!!  Had been debating what to try again but will go forward with same and try suggestions on here.  First week she was home (14 months) I was sidewalk surfing with her...that's when we went shopping for the gentle leader and what a 100% improvement it made in our training. 

[Teresa]

I'm also a fan of metal choke collars, as soon as the dog is not pulling. When they pull i think it's a bit harsh, but then again, if they pull, all collars are harsh :)

I agree that the name makes it look a lot worse than it actually is, specially because you can strap your leash in a way that it won't choke your dog no matter what!

All my dogs were leashed trained like you say until Romã, she got very stressed with the stopping and it was making it worse, that's why I tried the gentle leader on her, and i must say it was a wonderful solution. I also use a "gentle leader" (actually it's a pony headpiece..lol, I haven't found a gentle leader or anything like it big enough!) on my gigantic dog, since he makes to of me and he doesn't realize when he is pulling me with a collar... LOL

[Sherry Miller]

I do have a training collar (is what trainer years ago told me to call what you call a choke collar) but hoping to have her walking properly on a regular collar like my last Irish did.  Gentle leader just looked softer and kinder to use to me and after using the halti on the inherited Brittany and seeing how quickly he learned and easily I decided it was easier for me.  I have been debating just what to use and have been interested to hear what others have had success with. 

 

[Jo Ottinger]

I use the gentle leader also when I am walking around alot of dogs otherwise I use the sense-ible harness with the same results.  Hawk does not pull with either one. 

[Sherry Miller]

Does your IS seem to like using one of them better?  I hate the comments from strangers  regarding the gentle leader but had also wondered how the harness worked .  Do you allow them on long lead with the harness?  Just had been a long time since I walked an IS that pulled!  We have come a long way in a year but still working on the not pulling which the gentle leader does correct. Thanks for the information.

[Howard Glansfield]

When Ellie was a young dog we had a harness for her.We bought it so she would be secure when we went on a train.She was like Houdini,within a second,one wriggle and she could get free of it.I think she was double jointed because it was fitted properly.I even took her and the harness to the shop where I bought it and they couldn't believe she could escape with such ease.

My local dog training club will not allow 'choke' collars to be used but I know, if they are used properly, they are acceptable.Personally I wouldn't use one.

I too get fed up with "is your dog dangerous,he is wearing a muzzle" comments when he has his Gentle leader on.I demonstrate how his mouth can still open and bite if he wanted to!

[Jo Ottinger]

I have had several people lately ask me how they work and if I like them and how do they work